Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a programme for ear tagging of cattle at Behera Sahi, near Kalinga Stadium. The programme would be jointly organised by BMC and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) Department. Awareness vehicles were also launched on the occasion.
Inaugurating the event, Monday, BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said, “Odisha Men’s World Cup Hockey-2018 would definitely bring a tourism focus to the city and many foreign players, officials and dignitaries would be visiting our city. In order to stop the stray cattle menace and to make the city roads safe we have launched the tagging of ear campaign for the cattle across the city.’’
The BMC Mayor also added that by doing so (the tagging of cattle), their owners could also identify their animals during any natural calamity, theft and illegal transportation of the animals.
Later, the mayor flagged off vehicles with public announcement systems to create mass awareness of ear tagging of cattle in the city.
BMC Deputy Commissioner Subhranshu Mishra said, “Cattle under the BMC limits are to be tagged positively as per the decision of the civic body. The tagging is done free of charge and in the first phase 2,000 cattle would be covered under the pilot scheme. People can take their cattle to the nearest veterinary clinic and get them tagged.’’
Apart from the mayor, Chairman, BMC Standing Committee on Public Health, Biranchi Narayan Mahasupakar, local councillor of Ward No 37 Nabakishore Behera, and Ward No 38 councillor Nikhil Balabantray, Sub-Divisional Veterinary Officer (SDVO) Dr. Harekrushna Sahoo and Bhubaneswar Block veterinary expert Dr. Chandrasekhar Rath were present at the events.
It may be mentioned that after tagging if a cattle is found roaming here and there and on the city roads and is caught by the BMC’s cattle catching squad, then the owner has to pay Rs 1,000 fine for the release of the animal. In case of untagged cattle, the owner has to pay Rs 1,500 as fine. There would also be additional daily fine on the cattle.
SDVO Sahoo said, “As we are now getting so much attention as a Smart City in the making and the Odisha Men’s World Cup Hockey-2018 is all set to take the city as a major sports arena across the world, the tagging would immensely help the civic body as the tagged cattle would be linked to the database of their owners.”
The tagging is done by attaching a soft plastic number given by BMC to the cattle. As the ear is made of cartilage the piercing of the needle with the numbered tag would not be painful for the animal.
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